PHOENIX — Firey moments erupted at a public meeting Wednesday evening as community members debated the efficacy and price tag of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office federal oversight.
For more than a decade, the sheriff’s office has spent a total $352 million on a court-ordered monitor as a part of the longtime settlement of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio's racial-profiling case.
That price tag, concerning Maricopa County Board Chair Tom Galvin. Other community members echoed that sentiment, saying the money could be used elsewhere.
“We’ve seen four different sheriffs after the last 15 years, so my question here tonight is, when will this end? I want my constituents to know about this, and I’m angry about it,” Galvin said.
The ACLU and state representative Analise Ortiz said the Sheriff’s Office has yet to reach full compliance with the court-ordered changes and until then, they say the oversight should remain.
“They haven’t come into full compliance yet,” ACLU Arizona Executive Director Victoria Lopez said. “They have complied with some of them and there are still some outstanding areas like bias-free traffic stops and policing and internal investigations that are still a major concern.”
Sheriff Jerry Sheridan said his office has had a high compliance rate over the past few years and that he, too, wants to independently operate the agency.
“The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office is doing a good job at 94%. Nobody is perfect, no law enforcement is perfect, but at 94% for three years in a row,” Sheridan said. “This is a very emotional issue, this is a very controversial issue across the country.”
